Retainer for bed-coverings



D. PARRINGTON. RETAINERFOR BED GOVBRINGS.

' No. 410,160. Patented Sept. 3, 1889..

i M .w

A m g ung f; 1

s1 mm wmmnmlllmmllml w VENTGR;

WITNESSES I 230 n w' wwi.

UNITED STATES DARIUS FARRIN GTON, OF BROOKLYN,

PATENT OFFICE.

NEW YORK, AssIeuoR on ONE-HALF TO THOMAS I. ANDREWS, OF RAI-IWVAY, NEW JERSEY.

RETAINER FOR BED-COVERINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,160, dated September. 3, 1889.

Application filed November 27, 1888. Serial No. 291,951. (No specimens.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DARIUS FARRINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residinginBrooklyn, Kings county, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Retainers for Bed- Ooverings, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to devices for keeping in place the bed-coverings while a person is sleeping, and especially the coverings on a crib or cradle over an infant or child; and the object is to prevent the sleeper from pushing down and otherwise displacing the coverings by movements of the limbs.

My invention is of course mainly designed for use on cribs or other small beds to prevent the child sleeping therein from removing the covering, and especially from pushing the covering down in such a manner as to expose the upper part of the body.

All bed-coverings are limp, and may be readily crumpled and pushed down so as to expose the body of the sleeper without materially disturbing the covering at the foot of the bed. Now, if. the covering is provided with a light elastic or spring-like frame or shield, which is flexible and yet has sufiicient stiifness to retain its form and resist crumpliug, it will be obvious that the spread-coverings attached to said shield cannot be crumpled or bunched and displaced by reason of their being held spread out and flat by said shield; but they. may, if required, be readily turned back by reason of the yielding of the spring. They will at once, however, return to their normal position when released.

The purpose of my invention is to provide such a retainer or retaining-shield, and while I do not limit myself to any specific mode of constructing it, nor to any particular material for the purpose, it may consist in its simplest form of a frame composed of two longitudinal side springs, say, of thin flexible steel, and a cross piece or pieces of similar material at the foot end of the structure,which will then present a U-shaped form. This frame may be covered with some fabric, if preferred, and this will impart to the retainer a general rectangular form. If this retainer or retaining-shield be laid between or on the coverings of the crib, and be secured temporarily thereto by clips or other means, it will hold the coverings spread and prevent them from being pushed down. At the same time the presence of the retainer will hardly be observable bya person lying on the bed.

In carrying out my invention in its preferred form and for use on a crib, I prefer to construct the retainer or shield as follows: I take a rectangular sheet of light wire netting or gauze of the proper size and cut out the middle part from what I will call the head end that is, I remove that part of the sheet that would rest on the body of the child, in order to reduce the weight. This leaves a somewhat U-shaped piece of the gauze, which I bind with webbing or the like to prevent the wires from cutting the bedding. I then secure to the face of the gauze two thin flat strips of steel, which extend from the ends of the branches of the U obliquely down to the foot end of the sheet, where they may nearly meet, the springs forming a V. Now, in using this retainer or retaining-shield I first put a cover-one or 7 5 more-over the child, then lay the retainer thereon, the forks or branches toward the head of the crib, their extremities lying about in a line with the childs shoulders, and then place another cover over the retainer. The covers are now turned back at the head in the usual way and over the head end of the retainer, where they are secured or clamped to the retainer by any suitable clamp, clip, or other device. This retainer will keep the covering spread smoothly and in proper shape, and it will be impossible for the child to remove the covers by involuntary movement of the limbs while asleep.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown several forms of my retainer or retaining-shield.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the application of the retainer or shield. This View shows the top cover of I the crib turned back, in order to illustrate the position occupied by the retainer. Fig. 2 shows the retainer or shield constructed in the preferredform. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate two other forms of the retainer, which will be hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner of securing the covers to the retainer.

In Fig. 2 the retainer is represented as con structed in the more approved form. In this figure a represents a sheet or piece of wire gauze, preferably cut away at m, where it would rest upon the body of the sleeper. This cutting away of the middle portion of the sheet rendersit more flexible and permits it to adapt itself the better to the coverings, and it takes some Weight from the retainer at the point Where it would rest on the body. The edges of the sheet are provided with a binding 19, of some flexible material-as Webbing, for example. To the face of the sheet of gauze a are secured two like or similar thin and flexible springs c c, which extend from the extremities of the respective branches or forks a a down to' the foot end a. of the sheet, preferably approaching each other so closely as to almost come together at that end. This structure forms the shield, which may be covered, if desired, with some thin fabric; but this is not at all essential.

In Fig. 3 I have shown another form of the retainer composed of two springs c 0, similar to the springs c c of the construction seen in Fig. 2, and a connecting cross spring or springs 0 which ties the springs 0' together at the foot end of the retainer. This form of retainer may also, if desired, be covered with some suitable fabric, or it may have the extremities of springs c c united by a strip of tape or webbing 0 as shown.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a third form of the retainer. This retainer or retaining-shield may be made from hard rubber, papier-mach, prepared pasteboard, or the'like. The sheet a of this material is or may be shaped precisely like the sheet a in Fig. 2, and will be provided with springs c 0, arranged in substantially the same manner as those represented in said figure; but as the material is not so flexible as the gauze I cut the sheets into sections at the points at d and hinge them togetherat these points, so that the retainer may be more conveniently turned back with the covering and may yield to tlexure. Any number of such hinged joints may be-provided where the material is rather stiff. The hinges maybe made of cloth or like material.

Ordinarily the retainer will be made to extend from about the shoulders of the sleeper down to the foot of the crib or bed, in which case it will not be necessary to attach it in any way to the latter; but if itshould be too short to-extend to the foot, it'may be temporarily fastened to the sides of the cribin order to prevent it and the covers from being pushed down together. 7 In such cases the retainer may be provided with rings 6 e at the sides, as represented in Fig. 2, or some similar device to facilitate the attachment.

\Vhen the covers are folded back over the self to any particular material for my retaining-shield, nor to any particular construction and combination of materials. It is only essential that the shield shall be so constructed and of such materials that it will be flexible and yielding, and yet have sufficient stiffness to prevent it from being crumpled and enable it to retain its form. It must also have sufficient resilience and springiness or elasticity to enable it to return to its proper form after it has been folded or turned back. I prefer that the longitudinal springs'shall be flat or leaf-springs, but other forms of springs may be employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. As a new article of manufacture, a retainer for holding the covering in place on a bed, consisting of afiat thin flexible and elastic U shaped shield having sufficient stiifness to retain its form, substantially as set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a retainer for the coverings of a bed, consisting r of a sheet of flexible but not limp material, of the proper dimensions, and longitudinallyextending springs secured to said sheet, substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a re taining-shield for the covering of a bed, consistingof a thin flexible sheet of material, as wire-netting, having the U shape described, and springs c a, secured to said sheet and extending longitudinally of the same, as set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a retaining-shield for the covering of a bed, consistin g of a sheet of wire-netting of the proper dimensions bound with flexible material and provided with two longitudinally-extending springs arranged in the form of a V, as set. forth.

In witnesswhereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DARIUS FARRINGTON.

IVitnesses:

HENRY OoNNErr, J. D. CAPLINGER. 

